News

Live Healthy Iowa is partnering with 18 communities across Iowa to host the 6^th annual Live Healthy Iowa 5K. The events, scheduled for Saturday, April 13, will be held in Asbury, Bondurant, Britt, Carroll, Decorah, Dike, Fairfield, Hiawatha, Ida Grove, Mt, Pleasant, Onawa, Perry, Rathbun Lake, Sergeant Bluff, Sioux Center, Spencer, Story City, and Waukee. Proceeds from the events will benefit local wellness efforts in these communities, as well as Live Healthy Iowa Kids initiatives.

“The Live Healthy Iowa 5K events are a great way to come together in celebration of healthy communities,” said Iowa Sports Foundation CEO and Executive Director, Chuck Long. We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with 18 communities in putting on this year’s events.”

Onawa 5K

The Onawa LHI 5K event will begin and end at the Lewis & Clark State Park Visitor Center. The 5K portion of the event will begin at 8 a.m. with the 1K kid’s run following at 9 a.m. Early packet pickup and registration will be in the Visitor Center at Lewis and Clark State Park on Friday, April 12 from 4-5 p.m. Day of the event packet pickup and registration will be Saturday, April 13 from 6:30-7:45 a.m.

All participants will receive a Live Healthy Iowa 5K T-shirt, race number, finisher medal, and the opportunity to win door prizes. The cost is just $20 online until April 1; and $25 up to the race.  Participants in the 10 Week Wellness Challenge can receive a $10 discount on registration by redeeming the provided coupon code. The 1K kid’s run, for ages 12 and younger, is $5 through race day.  For additional event details, or to register, visit www.livehealthyiowa5k.org.

“Onawa is excited to partner with Live Healthy Iowa to offer this fun and healthy event,” said Michele Kirkendall, Onawa event co-coordinator. We look forward to welcoming area participants to our community and celebrating the efforts of all on race day.

Live Healthy Iowa and Live Healthy Iowa Kids provide challenges and events throughout the year to promote healthy and active lifestyles. To learn more about these programs, please visit www.livehealthyiowa.org or call (888)777-8881.

Grief is a journey that doesn’t have to be traveled alone. Often, talking or being with someone else who has experienced a loss can be helpful.

Burgess Home Health and Hospice is offering a 5-session grief support group for adults. Sessions will be on Tuesdays, April 3, 10, 17, 24, and May 1 from 6 – 8:30 p.m. The support group will meet in the conference rooms at Burgess Health Center in Onawa, Iowa.

There is no charge to participate. Please bring a photo of your loved one for the first meeting.

This support group is for any adult who has experienced a loss through death. It is designed to offer members a safe and understanding atmosphere where support can be drawn, and feelings, fears, and frustrations shared with others traveling the same “road of grief.”

While there is no timeframe for when you experienced the loss of your loved one, it is recommended the loss have occurred at least two months before the start of the grief group.

Participants must pre-register by Friday, March 30. A minimum of four members is required for the group to take place. If you have questions or would like to register, please contact Sandra Beechy at Burgess Hospice by calling 712-423-9183.

Burgess Auxiliary made a generous donation toward the purchase of telemedicine technology for Burgess Health Center. The first specialist who will use the technology is Dr. Jennifer Gibert, an endocrinologist from Omaha. Endocrinologists treat things like diabetes, hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, disorders of menopause, PMS, and pituitary disorders. Many people in the area will benefit from endocrinology appointments close to home.

If you don’t know what telemedicine is, keep reading.

Telemedicine is a fast growing field of medicine. Telemedicine improves access to medical specialists. In the past patients may have had to travel a long way to see a specialist. Now they have the option of being treated by those same doctors, close to home.

The introduction of video conferencing has made a big difference, allowing doctors and patients to see one another. Burgess will use technology that allows patients to talk with Dr. Gibert using a secure live video feed. During the appointment, the doctor can get a medical history from the patient, talk to the patient about current symptoms, do an evaluation, and then recommend the best course of treatment. There will also be a nurse or medical professional in the room with the patient to help by taking vitals and getting the technology set up.

Ongoing conditions like diabetes or thyroid disorders are ideal candidates for telemedicine. The Burgess lab will carry out tests and report the results back to the doctor, allowing her to monitor the patient’s condition and recommend any necessary changes to their treatment plan.

While telemedicine can’t completely replace traditional forms of medicine, it is a valuable addition which can vastly improve quality of life for both patients and healthcare providers.

Telemedicine is changing the way healthcare works. Patients can now access high-quality, timely, specialist care wherever they are in the world. While telemedicine isn’t a complete replacement for traditional face-to-face visits, it’s an extremely valuable way to supplement existing care.

If you would like an appointment with Dr. Gibert, please ask your primary care provider for a referral to Burgess Specialty Clinics.

Burgess Health Center improved our Emergency Department through a LEAN process and working with our Electronic Health Records provider.

Here is a great article about the work being done behind the scenes in the Burgess ED.

https://www.evident.com/resources/blog/20180112/burgess-health-center-improved-their-ed-through-lean-process-and-working

House numbers are not only convenient for finding addresses but necessary for emergency responders to locate those in need. Minutes matter so be sure that fire, ambulance, and police personnel can quickly find your address.

Burgess Health Center’s ambulance drivers are equipped with many tools to shorten their arrival time. However, house numbers are imperative for a quick reference. The harder it is to find the numbers, the longer it will take emergency personnel to arrive at the scene.

Take a moment to drive around after the sun has gone down and try to find a particular address that is unknown to you. It is not very easy. Emergencies can happen to anyone, anywhere, at any time – including during a blizzard or in the middle of the night.

Area residents are encouraged to take a few moments to install house numbers or examine existing house numbers. According to the Live Safe Foundation, here are some of the basic requirements:

• Must be Arabic numerals. Fancy numbers or numbers that are spelled out may be aesthetically pleasing but are very difficult to read from the street.
• Need to be a minimum of four inches high and in a contrasting color to their immediate background. Brass or bronze numbers are difficult to see.
• Must be displayed on the front of the dwelling and visible from the street.
• If the dwelling is located more than 45 feet from the front lot line, the number should be displayed on a gate post, fence, mailbox, or another appropriate place that will make it visible from the street from all directions.
• Cannot be obstructed by shrubs, trees, decorations, etc.

Do your part to help yourself and have your house numbers displayed near the front door, under a light in a size and color that is easily visible from the street. And if you live in a rural area maintain your house number sign that is near your driveway. Don’t let it get covered with snow this winter.

If the numbers on your house are not visible or easy to read, it will take emergency personnel longer to reach you. Those extra minutes spent trying to locate a property can mean the difference between life and death, so take the time now to be sure your house numbers may be seen from the street.

Burgess Health Center is pleased to announce its Emergency Department has been named a 2017 Guardian of Excellence Award^® winner by Press Ganey. The Guardian of Excellence Award recognizes top-performing healthcare organizations that have consistently achieved the 95^th percentile or above of performance in Patient Experience. The Emergency Department at Burgess has received this award for five consecutive years.

The Press Ganey Guardian of Excellence Award is a nationally-recognized symbol of achievement in health care. Presented annually, the award honors clients who consistently sustained performance in the top 5% of all Press Ganey clients for each yearly reporting period.

“This achievement demonstrates the commitment our employees make to our patients,” notes Fran Tramp, President and CEO, Burgess Health Center. “Providing a positive patient experience is top-priority along with providing quality care. Our exceptional staff members genuinely care about the health and well-being of our patients and their families – and it shows.”

“We are proud to partner with Burgess Health Center,” said Patrick T. Ryan, CEO of Press Ganey. “This award is a testament to the organization’s leadership in delivering patient-centered care. By achieving and sustaining this level of excellence, Burgess continues to demonstrate their commitment to reducing patient suffering and advancing the overall quality of health care.”

Find out more about Burgess Emergency Services.

Burgess Home Health has been named a Top Agency of the 2017 HomeCare Elite^®, a recognition of the top-performing home health agencies in the United States. For 12 years, HomeCare Elite has annually identified the top 25 percent of Medicare-certified agencies and highlighted the top 100 and top 500 agencies overall.

The ranking is developed by ABILITY^® Network, a leading information technology company helping providers and payers simplify the administrative and clinical complexities of healthcare; and sponsored by DecisionHealth, publisher of Home Health Line and the Complete Home Health ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Coding Manual.

“The team at Burgess has demonstrated an impressive ability to deliver great patient care,” said Christine Lang, senior director for ABILITY Network. “This is due to the skill and dedication of their clinical professionals, as well as the proficiency and efforts of their quality team tracking, measuring and interpreting the data that supports the delivery of care. Together, they have earned this recognition as one of the top home care agencies in the country.”

“Congratulations to those leading agencies that earned a spot on HomeCare Elite,” said Marci Heydt, senior content manager for DecisionHealth. “Burgess and its peers have worked hard to improve quality outcomes while maintaining solid profit margins, which is increasingly difficult as home health agencies faced increased regulatory burdens each year.”

HomeCare Elite agencies are determined by an analysis of performance measures in quality outcomes, best practices implementation, patient experience (HHCAHPS), quality improvement and consistency, and financial health. To be considered, an agency must be Medicare-certified and have data for at least three outcomes in Home Health Compare. Out of 9,064 agencies considered, 2,268 are recognized on the 2017 HomeCare Elite winners list overall.

The entire list of 2017 HomeCare Elite agencies can be downloaded by visiting the ABILITY Network website at abilitynetwork.com/homecare-elite.

Burgess Family Clinic is pleased to announce that Lynn Charrlin, MD has joined the practice and will begin seeing patients in November.

“I am very excited to welcome Dr. Charrlin,” said Caleb Poore, director of Burgess clinics. “She provides a great blend of experience and knowledge with a strong passion for providing community-based care.”

Dr. Charrlin grew up in Millard, Neb. She received her medical degree and completed her residency at UNMC in Omaha, and then was commissioned as a major in the United States Airforce. She spent 14 years working at family clinics in small towns in Missouri. Most recently she worked for the US Department of Veterans Affairs at a satellite clinic in Sioux City. She has missed practicing in a rural community and is looking forward to returning to that in Mapleton.

As a family practice physician, she enjoys all aspects of healthcare, but Dr. Charrlin also has special interest and expertise in dermatological procedures, joint injections and helping patients with weight management. “My individualistic approach to healthcare revolves around compassion and understanding. I enjoy getting to know patients on a personal level, as all aspects of life have an immense impact on health,” says Dr. Charrlin.

In her spare time, Dr. Charrlin enjoys taking care of her pets, animal rescue, gardening, photography and spending time with her family.

For more information on the clinic or to schedule an appointment with Dr. Lynn Charrlin, please call 712-882-2234.